1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a key structure; in particular, to a key structure having a balance mechanism which occupies little space.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional keyboards, function keys which are longer in one direction than they are in another (e.g. length significantly greater than width) use link bars for balance. A link bar has a circular cross section, is linear and is made of stainless steel. One end of the link bar is pivotally connected to a key cap. Another end of the link bar is slidably disposed on a bottom board. When the key is pressed, the link bar slides on the bottom board and pivots about the key cap, keeping the key cap horizontal to the bottom board. The key cap is prevented from flipping and being unresponsive.
With development of lightweight electronic products, the keyboards thereof are also trending toward slim designs. Thicker link bars (0.8 mm to 0.9 mm) are required to provide sufficient strength for preventing corners of a key cap from being unresponsive to a stroke. However, thicker bars require more space. Specifically, conventional keys have heights of over 3 mm. Therefore, traditional link bars compromises the design of a super thin keyboard.
Hence, the present inventor believes the above mentioned disadvantages can be overcome, and through devoted research combined with application of theory, finally proposes the present disclosure which has a reasonable design and effectively improves upon the above mentioned disadvantages.